Book Description

"Never die easy. Why run out of bounds and die easy? Make that linebacker pay. It carries into all facets of your life. It's okay to lose, to die, but don't die without trying, without giving it your best."

His legacy is towering. Walter Payton—the man they called Sweetness, for the way he ran—remains the most prolific running back in the history of the National Football League, the star of the Chicago Bears' only Super Bowl Championship, eleven times voted the most popular sports figure in Chicago's history. Off the field, he was a devoted father whose charitable foundation benefited tens of thousands of children each year, and who—faced with terminal liver disease—refused to use his celebrity to gain a preferential position for organ donation. Walter Payton was not just a football hero; he was America's hero.
        Never Die Easy is Walter Payton's autobiography, told from the heart. Growing up poor in Mississippi, he took up football to get girls' attention, and went on to become a Black College All-American at tiny Jackson State (during which time he was also a finalist in a Soul Train dance contest). Drafted by the Bears in 1975, he predicted that he would last only five years but went on to play thirteen extraordinary seasons, a career earning him regular acknowledgment as one of the greatest players in the history of professional football. And when his playing days were over, he approached business and charity endeavors with the same determination and success he had brought to the football field, always putting first his devotion to friends and family. His ultimate battle with illness truly proved him the champion he always had been and prompted a staggering outpouring of love and support from hundreds of thousands of friends and admirers.
        Written with veteran journalist and author Don Yaeger in the last weeks of Walter Payton's life, Never Die Easy presents Walter's singular voice—warm, plainspoken, funny, self-aware—along with the voices of the friends, family, teammates, and business associates who knew him best at all stages of his life, including his wife, Connie, and their children, Brittney and Jarrett; his teammate and friend Matt Suhey; former Bears head coach Mike Ditka; and many, many others.
        Walter made Don Yaeger promise that his book would be "inspirational and leave people with some kind of lesson . . . and make sure you spell all the words right." Never Die Easy keeps all those promises. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

A touch of sweetness
I was a bit caught off guard when I first picked up Never Die Easy, and saw it was comprised of narritives from various people in Walter Payton's life. I quickly put any aprehensions aside as I became enthralled in the descriptions and recollectons of Payton and others. I was gratified to find that the Walter Payton of real life was close to the Walter Payton I had come to admire and respect. Many people contributed to this book, and added layers to the story Walter Payton told. Along with the voices of coaches and fellow players, the voices of his wife, his children, and his siblings. The passages that deal with his life before Chicago...a Soul Train dance contest winner?... and after football are candid. They are very frank with descriptions of learning he was sick and how they dealt with the struggle as his health declined. No one ever gave up hope. This is a fitting tribute to one of the finest football players to ever play the game and a pleasure to read.

Unique Format for a Biography, Touching, Read it
This book was enjoyable and touching. I read it from start to finish without stopping. The structure of the book makes it easy to understand and follow. Specific topics are addressed in each chapter with separate accounts of the narrator and then by Payton and Payton's friends.

Payton was a warrior on the football field and a philanthropist and businessman after his career ended. This book will give you a glimpse into his entire life. Walter Payton was a man to be admired for his playing ability and his sweetness as a person. If you are a Walter Payton fan read this book!

"The Greatest Bear of Them All"
In this book about Walter Payton there is a lot of good information about him. The title "Never Die Easy," means that when Payton was sick with cancer he fought as long as he could and didn't complain about the pain. When Payton was diagnosed with cancer they told him he had a certain amount of time to live but he overcame that and lived two more years. He has one son (Jerrett Payton) and one daughter (Brittney). Walter's brother Eddie would come to the hospital and talk with him but when Walter was let out, him and Eddie would go out and hane a good time. Although Payton was one of the greatest football players he was a better person to his family, friends, and people. In the book there is a picture of Payton running up a hill, this picture shows him training as he works toward his accomplishments as a running back in the NFL. At the 1987 mark in the picture is where he retired form football. The famous hill in the photograph is named "Payton's Hill," his honor. Walter Payton was inducted in the Hall of Fame in July of 1993. His life was one of the roughest but he made the best of it and has the book to prove it. This is one of the best books I have read and probably will read.

Never Die Easy
Shaun V
Book Review

Never Die Easy by Walter Payton with Don Yeager is a story of a boys childhood and how he got to where only a selected few go. The NFL.
Walter Payton grew up in Mississippi where sports was the only thing that kids could enjoy. Walter grew up with his mother, father, sister Pam, and brother Eddie. Every summer Walter's mother would have a truck load of topsoil delivered to the front yard to keep them out of trouble. That's how Walter developed all of his leg power. Walter loved to play baseball and football. He and his brother, Eddie always played sports.
During his first two years of high school, Walter was in the band and played soccer, until his brother Eddie became the star quarterback of the football team. Since then he only loved to play football. Walters junior year he was the starting varsity running back. He broke many school as well as state records. He trained non-stop because football was his life.
College was Walters time to shine. He went to Jackson State University. During his freshman year he shared a dorm with his brother because he was currently attending that same college. At Jackson State, Walter met his future wife, Connie. They were inseparable. Walter went on the TV show "Soul Train" because he love to dance. He was an excellent dancer due to his center of balance which helped him as a running back. Playing football in college wasn't any different than high school ball to him. He still dominated the playing field. Up next was the NFL draft.
Walter was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Bears. He has never been in such a cold city, he had to adjust quickly. He was so nervous of making a good impression to the loyal fans of Chicago, that his first year wasn't so hot. He rushed for under 300 yards that season. While playing for the Bears he broke Jim Brown's all-time rushing record . During his football career he only missed one game due to a slight ankle sprain. After every game Walter would stay after to sign autographs for his fans. " Nothing is as important to me as spending time with my fans. They are so loyal". Retirement came thirteen years later.
After football, Walter became a business partner for several small business chains across America. He donated to a lot of charities for diseases and he also donated a lot of his time to the city of Chicago. It wasn't only money that he donated. He donated a lot of his time to fans that were sick in hospitals and became a motivational speaker.
A few years later he was diagnosed with a disease that effected his liver. There were thousands already in line for a transplant, he was at the end. He was a very wealthy man and could have paid for thousands of treatments that would slower the process. He did as much as he could but the cancer had spread. He put those thoughts behind him and continued to do his charity work. Walter's son Jarrett was going to a Division I college at the University Of Miami. Walter couldn't have been any prouder.
Soon after Walter died on November 1, 1999.
In Never Die Easy, it shows you how to live life to it's fullest. Everyday Walter lived his life as it were to be his last. He didn't let anything or anyone stand in his way. When he had cancer he just told himself that he still had enough time to accomplish more. This book also showed how important family is. It isn't everyday you see someone's son announce their father's introduction speech in to the Hall of Fame.
In my opinion Never Die Easy was a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys sports.

Never Die Easy ( the Walter Payton autobiography)
Being so ignorant of football, I did not even know who Walter Payton was until he died. When I read the book I found how important he was to the football association. It gave a better understanding of his disease that attacked his liver. It told the story of a once unstoppable football player to someone only a fraction his normal size and weigt, but he never lost his faith and continued fighting until his last days in his home with his family. I had no idea how hard it is to find a donor for a liver. Also the medications he had to take and how sick they made him, and also having to have a cathiter placed in his chest to draw blood and for IVs since his veins were so weak. This man touched the lives of millions and even though he was sick he never asked why and made it a vow to never die easy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kicks A$$
This was a really great book. Books about football hall of famers do not get better. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The day Walter Payton died, Chicago Bears owner Virginia McCaskey tearfully said, "After Brian Piccolo died, my husband Ed and I promised ourselves we wouldn't be so personally involved with any of the players. We were able to follow that resolve until Walter Payton came into our lives." Payton was magical to watch, playing with a toughness that never failed to impress opponents, teammates, and fans alike. Alternately graceful and bruising, Payton ran, leapt, and battered his way to eight NFL records in his 13-year career--including the most rushing yards in a single game (275), most career rushing yards (16,726), and most career total yards (21,803), in addition to having 10 1,000-yard rushing seasons, five 1,500-yard rushing seasons, and 77 100-yard rushing games.

As Sweetness: The Courage and Heart of Walter Payton points out, however, Payton was much more than just a football player. The contributors (many of whom are Chicagoans themselves) certainly highlight Payton's great athletic ability, his impressive stats, and the respect felt for him by his professional colleagues. But they also honor Payton the family man, the practical joker who loved to set off firecrackers in the locker room, and the philanthropist who quietly gave thousands of dollars to charities throughout Illinois. Dozens of photos, quotes from friends and family, and a handful of short essays will help football fans remember a time when life was a little sweeter. A fitting tribute to the man Mike Ditka called "the best football player I've ever seen, and probably one of the best people I've ever met." --Sunny Delaney ... Read more

Reviews (3)

AWESOME SWEETNESS
Walter Payton was the model of what every player should be like, even in today's "me only" generation. Walter was a first class football player amd first class individual as well.

He is what other players should strive to be like, Walter broke the mold and still stands as the premiere football player of all time. Walter can not and will never be replaced, he represented what all of us should be like no matter what color we are or where we came from or anything!

A truly remarkable individual that went beyond being a great football player, Walter was a great person as well. If a person couldn't be inspired by what Walter Payton represented, they just couldn't be inspired with anything!

I named my son after his son, and my family will never forget watching #34 on the field on Sunday's. Walter is my all time hero and inspiration, and always will be.

A good book about a good man
This is a terrific book, especially for parents who want to show their sports-mad kids a real role model. The photos are wonderful, and the text describes the whole man, not just the football player. And he was as good a man as he was player, and there wasn't ever a better player.

Give this to a football-loving kid for Christmas, and try not to cry when you read it yourself.

A GREAT REMINDER OF A GREAT MAN.
"Sweetness: The Courage and Heart of Walter Payton" is a wonderful collection of quotes, stats, stories, and pictures illustrating the complete Payton. He was indeed one of the greatest running-backs of all time. What this book gives, that many don't, is a review of Walter's off-field perfomances. He was kind, caring, and loving to all. This book clearly shows that Walter was in all aspects.....a hero. This title is a must for all those who miss the headbands, the dives over the goal lines, the amazing runs, the jumping high fives, and a great man----SWEETNESS! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

WALTER PAYTON
WHEN WALTER PAYTON WAS A CHILD, HE DIDN'T LIKE THE GAME OF FOOTBALL. HE LIKED BASEBALL. WALTER PAYTON LIVED IN SOUTHERN MISSIPPI, AND WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL AT J. JEFFERSON HIGH. HE WENT TO COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY. AFTER COLLEGE HE PLAYED FOR THE CHICAGO BEARS. WALTER PAYTON MADE THAT TEAM, HE GOT THEM TO THEIR FIRST SUPERBOWL. THE BOOK WAS SO DESCRIPTIVE. IT TOLD EVERYTHING. THE BOOK WAS GREAT. I LOVED IT, I JUST WISH EVERYONE COULD BE LIKE WALTER PAYTON. ... Read more